Differential axle device.



A. BECKER. DIFFERENTIAL AXLB DEVICE. ArPLIqATIoN FILED 11u24. 1910.

Patented Aug.'2;r1910.

mm/m12,

IIN Q' ARNOLD BECKER, OF SANTA BARBARA, CALIFORNIA.

DIFFERENTIAL AXLE DEVICE.

essere.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented AuO. 2, 1910.

Application filed May 24, 1910. Serial No. 563,063.

To all whom it 'may concern:

Be it known that I, ARNOLD BECKER, an Austrian subject, residing in thecity of Santa Barbara, county of Santa Barbara, State of California.,have invented new and useful Improvements in Differential Axle Devices,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to a divided axle, or shaft, on the ends of whichare rotating parts, which at times are required to rotate at differentrates of speed, and is primarily designed for use on railways. Thenapplied to railways, the object thereof is to eliminate the torsionalstrain, now incident to railway axles when turning a curve, and obviatethe wear on the wheels and the noise made thereby when turning a curve.

A further object is to provide a coupling joint containing the maximumamount of strength with the minimum amount of material.

A further object is to provide a joint in which the parts are finallysecured by the compression of a portion of the parts upon a portion ofthe other parts accomplished at one operation.

I accomplish these objects by the device described herein andillustrated in the accompanying drawings, showing it applied to arailway axle, in which drawings,

Figure l is a side elevation partly in longitudinal section of a railwayaxle. Fig. 2 is a like view showing a modified form of coupling joint.

In the drawings the axle is formed of two sections 5 and 6, which may beof equal length, or as shown in the drawings, the section 6 is muchshorter than the section 5, the axle being cut as close to the wheel 7as is convenient in assembling.

The shorter section of the axle is revolu ble independently of thecoupling shell and is turned down in parts so as to present a pluralityof surfaces angularly inclined to the longitudinal central line of theaxle in that portion of the same which is inclosed by the inner shell 8,within which it is independently revoluble, except that a small section9 at the abutting end has the outer sur face thereof parallel with thelongitudinal central line of the axle. In Fig. 1 I have shown the out-ersurface of section 6 as formed by curved lines, and in Fig. 2 as formedby straight lines. The inner shell S is longitudinally divided intohalves, and

extends the whole length of the coupling. That portion of the innersleeve which is mounted upon section G has a working fit thereon, beingof an internal configuration to fit upon the external configuration ofsaid section. tIt also extends over the end of section 5 a sufhcientdistance to be frictionally held thereon when the outer shell 10 isforced upon the inner shell as shown in Fig. 1. As shown in Fig. 2 theabutting end of section 5 is corrugated as shown at l1, and the innersleeve is of a configuration to fit upon such corrugations with apressed flt formed by the forcing of the outer shell upon the innershell. The inner shell is provided with a plurality of transverselubricating channels 12 which are connected by longitudinal channels 13.The outer shell is provided with a transverse lubricating channel 14@which is supplied with lubricating Huid from oil cup l5 secured thereto.The outer shell is preferably provided near the ends thereof withchannels or grooves l() for convenience in disassembling the parts. Theexterior of the inner shell and the interior of the outer shell arepreferably slightly tapered so that the outer shell can be moreconvenientlyT forced upon the inner shell than would be the case if suchtaper were not provided.

In assembling the parts the two axle sections are placed in alinementwith their ends abutting. The halves of the inner shell are then placedupon said sections in their proper relation to the same. The outer shellis then placed upon the inner shell until the surfaces meet when theouter shell is forced completely upon the shell by hydraulic or otherpressure, sufficiently great to lause that portion of the inner shellwhich surround-s section 5 to frictionally engage the same withsufficient tenacity to resist separation therefrom when the axle is inpractical use. Instead of using hydraulic pressure the outer shell couldbe heated and shrunk upon the inner shell, so that by compression andfrictional contact, the engagement between the outer and inner shellshall be rigid, and also so that the engagement between the inner shelland the section not having the working fit shall be rigid.

By this construction and assembling, the rigid engagement between theinner shell and section 5, and the working engagement between the innershell and section 6, and the rigid engagement between the inner andouter shells are eected at one operation, either by the forcing orshrinking of the outer upon the inner shell. By the construction of aworking fit between one section of the axle and one end of the innershell and by extending the inner shell and providing it with a pressedfit upon a portion of the other section of the axle, and by inclosingthe entire inner shell in an outer shell, the strength of the axle ispreserved with a minimum use of material and the actual working surfaceof the bearing is increased, thereby increasing the life of the journal.By the construction and ,arrangement of both the inner and outer shells,to inclose the abutting` ends of the axle sections, the maximum of axlestrength is pro vided with the minimum amount of material at the pointWhere the abutting ends meet.

Having described my invention what I claim is z l. A differential axledevice mechanism comprising an axle divided into two sections inalinement; one of said sections having a portion thereof formed with itsouter surface angularly disposed as to the central longitudinal linethereof; an inner sleeve longitudinally divided and having one of itsends of a configuration to fit upon the axle section whose outer surfaceis angularly disposed to the central longitudinal line thereof with aworking t and its other end adapted to fit upon the abutting end of theother axle section with a rigid fit; and an outer sleeve rigidly securedupon the inner sleeve whereby the inner sleeve is secured with a rigidfit upon one axle section and a working fit upon the other axle section.

.2. A differential axle device comprising an axle divided into twosections in alinement, said sections having the abutting portionsthereof formed for a portion of their length with their outer surfacescomposed of a plurality of angularly disposed surfaces as to the centrallongitudinal line of the axle; an inner' sleeve longitudinally dividedand having its inner surface of a conguration to fit upon the portion ofthe axle sections whose outer surfaces are angularly disposed to thecentral longitudinal line thereof, the inner surface of said sleeve asto one section having a working fit and as to the other section adaptedto be held thereon with a rigid fit; and an outer sleeve rigidly securedupon the inner sleeve, whereby the inner sleeve is secured with a rigidfit on one axle section and a working it on the other axle section.

In witness that l claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my namethis 16th day of May, 1910.

ARNOLD BECKER.

Witnesses z T. E. MONTEVERDE, P. B. AUSTIN.

